interview

Son Treated Like a Terrorist, Says Student's Mother

More than 42 days have passed since the arrest of student activist from Sanandaj, Yaser Goli. ‎Goli's family and attorney have not been able to meet with him yet. In an exclusive interview ‎with Rooz, Goli's mother complains about the inhumane treatment of her son.

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I have interviewed Goli's mother three times so far. The first time, she told me about the manner ‎of her son's arrest; the second time about her husband's arrest; and the third time about their ‎banishment from the Revolutionary Court. ‎

‎"My son has been in detention for 42 days. We are not allowed to meet with him and he is not ‎allowed to contact us. Two weeks ago, they arrested my husband because he was pursuing the ‎release of my son. After six days, they released my husband on bail, but a few days later the ‎prosecutor banned us from entering court premises."‎

I asked why they were banned from court. ‎

‎"Except for the last two days and Fridays, I have gone to court almost every day. Each time I ‎wrote a letter to court officials and gave it to them, but they threw the letter away or ripped it off ‎in front of my eyes. Two weeks ago, they got angry and asked security guards not to let any of ‎Yaser Goli's family members, meaning myself, his father and brothers, enter the courtroom, and ‎that is what happened."‎

I ask, "So what do you to do follow up on your son's condition?"‎

‎"I went to the detention facility a few times and asked officers there to allow me to visit my sick ‎son for even 30 seconds; but they did not accept, and when I submitted my request in writing, ‎they said even if you write 100 letters, you won't see your son until we deem appropriate." ‎

According to Yaser Goli's mother, Goli's attorney, Saleh Nikbakht, has not been able to review ‎his client's files yet. ‎

What adds to this family's concerns is Yaser Goli's heart condition and harsh detention ‎conditions. ‎

‎"I'm afraid of something happening to my son. His heart bothered him when he was normal, let ‎alone now that he is in solitary confinement. What kind of treatment is this for a student and his ‎family? They act as if they have captured a dangerous terrorist." ‎

When Goli's mother said this last sentence, I remembered Goli's interview last year with Rooz. ‎Goli spoke about the student movement in that interview. He said, "You can say that there is ‎heavy pressure on universities. Students are the ninth administration's radical critics and are not ‎willing to compromise. The other side has definitely raised the stakes. It reacts as soon as any ‎student raises a criticism against the government. Nevertheless, students use every opportunity ‎to voice their dissatisfaction, which really mirrors the society's dissatisfaction with the ninth ‎administration's policies, particularly in limiting the citizens' civil freedoms." ‎

The cost has now been born by him and his family. How high is the cost? ‎